To avoid the perception of "conflict of interest," it isn''t unusual for a third-party consultant to prepare a remediation plan for the remediation contractor.

Locate an experienced indoor environmental professional or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) with a reputation for being knowledgeable, practical and reasonable if you decide to get into mold remediation.

• Unknowns

When you cut into walls, projects never get smaller; instead, they tend to grow and take on a life of their own.

They will also need to be able to communicate effectively with occupants and owners.

Are your people up to the task?

A Specialized Approach

Our experience tells us that building maintenance firms are often times geared to repetitive operations.

Mold remediation projects are one of a kind.

We opine that considering diversification into mold remediation may be too narrow of an approach.

Don''t be discouraged: While the need for mold remediation firms is either static or declining, the need for indoor environmental professionals is growing.

We encourage you to address the opportunity by considering a broader approach.

Building occupant complaints about indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can often be narrowed down to three causes: Chemicals, particulate and biological.

We advise you to consider becoming a diagnostician.

Learn about the causes of indoor environmental problems and effective remedial strategies.

Why do we suggest this approach?

First, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

In other words, if your knowledgebase is limited to dampness and mold, every indoor air quality (IAQ) problem will look like a mold problem.

While many IEQ problems are dampness related, just as many — if not more — are related to other issues such as lighting, ventilation, chemicals and particulates.

We suggest that all maintenance firms gain general knowledge on IEQ and comfort issues.

This knowledge will provide guidance to better manage business risks, will serve as an aid in retaining existing accounts and will build a solid foundation upon which to market and build profitable new business.

We advise investing in the training or recruitment of a dedicated in-house specialist in IEQ.

With a combination of a solid foundation in IEQ, good listening and communication skills, your IEQ specialist will guide and assist building owners in finding solutions.

Your IEQ specialist will also know when a project is beyond your capabilities and know when and who to call in when an expert or expertise is needed.

Your IEQ specialist''s technical skills can also be profitably harnessed for sales and marketing.

Cliff Zlotnik has 40 years of experience in odor removal, disaster restoration, microbial remediation and formulation chemistry, and is the co-host of IAQ Radio. Zlotnik can be reached at CZlotnik@CS.com. Joe Hughes has 25 years of experience as an indoor environmental professional and training provider. He is president of IAQ Training Institute LLC and co-host of IAQ Radio. Hughes can be reached at Joe.Hughes@IAQTraining.com.